As with bands like Deer
Tick or Dan Mangan, Micah P. Hinson dances on the line
between alternative and traditional country music. He manages to not dive
headfirst into the pitfalls of current popular country music which relies heavy
on gimmickry and pretty faces. Instead, Hinson focuses on storytelling and
ornate melodies to complete his songs. This may seem like a simple method to
apply but it can often go so wrong and quite exciting to hear when it goes as
right as it does on …And The Nothing.
This is Hinson’s seventh album his last being in 2010 with …And the Pioneer Saboteurs. That being said, you can hear the
intentional subtleties laced throughout this album that only come with time.
As a singer Hinson manages to produce a feeling that
resonates on each track, his voice echoes and quakes with a manner that is
distinctive to him alone. The first
track off of the album How Are You Just A
Dream is a fury of energy. Unlike what we heard on Hinson’s previous album …And The Nothing has a few songs that
just rattle and hum. This is a stark
contrast from I Ain’t Movin’ which is
a delicate piano melody. Another track,
with a particularly long title called, The
Life, Living, Death And Dying, Of A Certain And Peculiar LJ Nichols, calls
to mind certain Neil Young songs
through its storytelling. Then comes Sons
Of The Ussr, a track which stands out as the most distinct out of the album’s
entire track list. The distinctiveness in this track comes from the ambient background
keyboard portions, which create a dream like atmosphere.
There is something distinctive and appealing to Hinson’s
music. Whether it’s the storytelling, the orchestral element or simply the
voice, Micah P. Hinson is a force
that is too often overlooked and one to be reckoned with.
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